Baby
by ExAura
Summary: It's been one year since the Gaang won the war, and life has never been better. Well, until Katara turns up on Zuko's doorstep with an unwanted gift. Unfortunately, things are about to get a hell of a lot more complicated.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer & Author's Note: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. (which is fairly obvious due to the fact Zutara isn't canon ((No matter how much I beg Bryke for it to be)) )

Okay, so I'm finally back and writing again! It's been literally **years **since I was last writing for Avatar, but here I am! I like to think I've evolved a bit since I last used this site, so hopefully my writing will have improved too.

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Under the cover of night a slim, hooded figure silently made it's way up the front steps of the fire palace. Clutched in the figure's arms was a bundle wrapped up tightly in blankets, despite the warm firenation air. The only sound that could be heard was a gentle breeze rustling through trees as the figure slipped inside one of the palace's huge wooden doors and glanced around the room, scouting out for any guards.

This was a bad idea, and Katara knew it. After all, it wasn't as though most people expected visitors in the middle of the night. Especially not ones with the purpose of Katara's visit. But night was the only chance she'd have to arrive undetected and unnoticed. Any other time and it could create, well... obvious difficulties. She could already imagine the ideas Sokka and Toph would get into their heads if they knew she was paying Zuko secret visits. However on this occasion, not even Zuko knew of her arrival. Not yet, anyway.

Once inside the palace, Katara slipped the hood off her head and allowed her long, chocolate waves to flow freely down her back. Using skills she'd learned during the war, she silently made her way up the stairway and into the many winding corridors of the palace. Countless visits to the palace had allowed her to easily find her way around the large building, despite the fact she hadn't even been here in months. She wasn't sure where to find the person she was searching for, but she prayed to Tui and La he wouldn't be in the bedroom. Interrupting the Firelord and his girlfriend's slumber probably wouldn't have desirable effects. Although Zuko would be more surprised to see her than angry, she was sure Mai would not share the same attitude. Thankfully, a dim light shining out from the crack of a closed door alerted Katara to his presence in his study. She smiled slightly to herself, even after all these months Zuko had not changed at all. He was still a total workaholic.

Breathing a deep sigh in preparation, Katara firmly knocked twice on the study door.  
"Knock knock." She said in time with each thump, imagining Zuko's startled reaction on the other side.

"Who's there?" Came the response, and quicker than lightning, the door flew open.

"Your baby." Katara told him grimly, glancing backwards and forwards between the now crying bundle and Zuko's bemused face.

**_One Year Ago..._**

_"So, how does it feel to be Firelord?" Katara slurred, her third glass of fire whisky on the balcony railing in front of her. Zuko grinned a response. Earlier in the evening had been the coronation ceremony and formal dinner, so now he, Katara, Suki, and Sokka were having their own little celebratory gathering. The younger ones, Toph and Aang, had been promptly whisked off to bed due to the obvious presence of alcohol. The last thing Zuko wanted as the new firelord was a reputation for handing out drinks to twelve year olds. _

_"Well, there's a hell of a lot more pressure." Zuko replied slowly, feeling a little tipsy himself. With a cheeky grin, he added: "Not to mention I've got cartloads of honor." He chuckled slightly at the mention of his old obsession. _

_"This is true." Katara agreed, laughing. Zuko took particular notice of how sparkly and blue her eyes looked in the moonlight; she always seemed to look the most ethereal at this time of day. Her long waves fluttered softly around her shoulders, and maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he thought she looked even more beautiful than usual. The two teens stared at each other silently for a few moments, before Katara stood up on the tips of her toes and softly kissed Zuko on the lips. For a second he allowed himself to be caught up in the kiss, but then pulled away. _

_"Katara... I thought we agreed to stop with that." He told her. During the war, the two of them had taken to sneaking off together to **vent.**_ _What was known as 'venting' to the other members of the group, was known as a secret make out session to the two of them. After all, who could blame them? They were 15 and 16 years old, and it's hardly uncommon for people of that age to have certain **urges**. They were two attractive teens, and they had both put two and two together. It wasn't as though Katara could have done any of that with Aang at his current age, and Mai was still in the boiling rock. However after Ozai was defeated, they agreed to put an end to it. Mai was keen to rekindle her relationship with Zuko, and Katara was interested to see where Aangs crush on her lead to. _

_"I know... but why not one last time? Then we'll definitely call it quits." She slurred, kissing Zuko's neck. He let out a slight moan, Katara still hadn't forgotten all his favourite spots to be kissed. He knew it was definitely his inebriated brain talking, but he really wanted to take her up on her offer. She was gorgeous and he was drunk, so why not, right? Tomorrow morning they could both pretend it never happened._

_"Alright... but not a word of this to Mai or Aang." He replied, returning her kiss, his hand running through her hair. A hand slid around her waist pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth. He gently pushed her forward so she was leaning against the balcony railing; one hand around her back and the other in her hair. He was really going to miss this. Actually, he was just going to miss **her. **Her and her beautiful blue eyes, her perfect curves, and the way she always seemed to know what he was thinking. Agni, he was even going to miss the way she could be so bossy and demanding. _

_Katara interrupted the kiss by pulling away, and Zuko's mouth moved down a little, planting little kisses in the crook of her neck as she spoke. "Come, follow me." She said, giving him a cheeky smile and taking him by the hand. Bemused, he followed. As she led him into the bedroom, he began to realise what her intentions were. On any other day, she would never have attempted this. And he would never have gone along with it. But today was not any other day, and so he thought it was the best idea in the world. _

_Zuko lay her down on the bed, and in one swift movement, he carelessly started removing her kimono. Katara reciprocated, slipping off his shirt and pants. As soon as the barrier that is clothes was removed, Zuko kissed her again, gently tugging on her bottom lip. Without breaking the kiss he turned over so she was straddling his stomach, and her hands running down his chest and over the scar he'd received from jumping in front of Azula's lightning. Katara was the only one to ever touch either of his scars, she was the only one he'd allow to.  
_

_As the intensity of the moment increased, Zuko hoped he would not ever come to regret tonight._

"Shit, Katara! Since when did I have a _kid!" _Zuko exclaimed, his eyes flicking between Katara and the tiny infant in her arms. She knew he'd react like this.

You know when... it... happened." She told him, unable to make eye contact.

"Why didn't you tell me? You could have written!" He snapped, his fists balling up slightly. He was angry, that much was obvious. She knew the only reason he wasn't shouting was to avoid waking up Mai. Katara could understand why he was upset, but he needed to let her explain.

"I wanted to tell you in person! Besides, who knows who could have read the letter! Mai _can't _know about this." She protested, knowing full well what the consequences would be. Katara liked her face, and didn't particularly want a bunch of knives stuck in it. Zuko's face softened slightly.

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no chance I'm going to let her know anytime soon. How old is it?" Zuko asked, and Katara felt a little miffed at the use of the word '_it'. _It was almost as though he was trying to deny the fact the child was even human.

"**She's **a month and a bit old. I left the South Pole to come here almost as soon as **she** was born." She said, putting emphasis on the fact the baby was a girl. Zuko seemed to pick up on this fact.

"Can I... can I hold her?" He asked shyly, rubbing the back of his head. Katara smiled, and held the infant out towards him. He accepted her, and gazed at her with an adoring expression on his face. Despite her young age, the child was already the definition of beauty. She had his pale complexion and jet black hair, but her eyes could only be described as her mothers. Like Katara's, they were a brilliant blue and as large as the moon. "She's beautiful." He whispered.

Katara stood in silence; although there was more she needed to talk to him about, she knew he needed this moment.

After a little while, he looked up. "What's her name?"

"I wanted to call her Elsa... if that's okay with you." Katara said, switching her weight from one foot to the other. She wanted the most beautiful name she could think of for her baby, and Elsa was it. Although, she also really wanted Zuko to have a say in what she was named.

"Elsa..." Zuko breathed, his eyes not leaving the baby. "It's perfect."

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Author's Note:

Thank you for reading the first chapter of Baby Daddy! I hope you enjoyed it, and that you'll keep up with this story as it moves along. I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week, maybe more if studying allows it. I'm thinking I might also write a prequel to this story aswell, set during the war when Katara and Zuko were having their little fling. Review and let me know what you think of that idea!

I really want to keep this story/universe as close to canon as possible, which is why in the flashback I mentioned that Maiko and Kataang is a thing. If I do end up writing the prequel, the events which occur will be exactly how they are in the TV series, although there will also be things (such as Katara and Zuko's venting sessions) which I will pretend are happening in the background. Personally while I love Mai and Aang, I just think they are all wrong for Katara and Zuko. I feel like through the whole series Katara has been a mother figure to Aang, and the kiss in the finale just felt a little weird. In this fic, the Kataang kiss did happen (and will happen in the prequel, since I want to try and stick to canon), but Katara will feel the same way about it as I do. As far as Mai and Zuko are concerned, I just think they will continuously have personality clashes, and I just don't think they would have stayed together. I know that Zutara was originally supposed to be canon, which is why I think that Kataang and Maiko was just Bryke taking the easier option. I think they felt that by season 3 there wasn't enough time to set Zutara up, although after the Southern Raiders episode, it shouldn't have been too difficult.

I just thought I'd point out the reason I made Katara's age 15 in the flashback (16 in the present ), even though on the website it says she was 14 during the war. This was because I simply don't think 14 is old enough to be having sex, and it just felt too weird writing those scenes with the knowledge of her being that age. I know that 15 isn't much better, but as I said before, I'm trying not to stray too far from canon.

If any of you were wondering why I named the baby Elsa, it's because of this wonderful theory I read on tumblr. I'm sure you've all heard of the movie Frozen, and it's to do with that. Some fantastic person had said that Katara and Zuko had a baby named Elsa, but it was very sickly, and so they pleaded to Yue for help. The baby's hair turned white, and as she grew up, they learned she was a waterbender. Because of the firenation in her, Elsa had trouble controlling her powers, and had to wear gloves, was sent away, Frozen plot occurs, etc. Obviously that isn't going to happen in this story, but I loved the theory so much I decided to name the baby Elsa in this fic. Not to mention I think it's a gorgeous name.

Next chapter we will find out what's been happening since the war and the present, and we will meet Mai!

Anyway, I think thats more than long enough of an author's note for one chapter, and I will leave you to your reading!

Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and of my idea for a prequel! :)


	2. Chapter 2

The first rays of morning light would be shining through the red curtained window of the Fire Palace's guest room soon, but Katara had no time for enjoying the luxury of sleep. The piercing sound of Elsa's wail woke her out of her slumber, and she wearily made her way out of the comfort of bed over to the crying infant. Katara had come to realise this was one of the joys of motherhood, being robbed of any sleep. She shushed the baby as she rocked it gently in her arms, but the crying didn't cease. She hoped Elsa wasn't hungry, she'd used up the last of the Cow-Hippo milk she'd brought with her to the fire nation last night. She knew she'd be able to get more in the kitchens, but she couldn't carry a crying baby through the halls of the palace while everyone was sure the still be asleep. She couldn't leave Elsa here, either, she'd just keep wailing and they'd face the same problem as the latter.

Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to think about this issue as the guest room door swung open to reveal a girl with jet-black hair and an annoyed expression plastered on her usually emotionless face. Oh, and a mortified Zuko drifting behind her.  
"Why in Agni's name can I hea- Katara!?" If Mai was anyone else, her irritated manner would have changed to one of pure surprise. But she was Mai, so the look on her face hardly changed at all. Katara smiled sheepishly.

"Hi, Mai." She said as casually as she could. The two girls had never really got along, but they'd always been tolerant of each other for Zuko's sake. The waterbender was determined to make today no different.

"When did you get here?" Mai asked slowly, and then turned to Zuko. "Did you know she was here?"

"She got here last night." The shaggy-haired boy said, and then tried to explain. "You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"It's true. I thought my ship would arrive in the afternoon, but it didn't. Obviously." Katara added. Awkward moments really weren't her thing, and this was one of them. The older girl seemed unconvinced, but didn't pry further.

"Is that yours?" She asked, nodding towards the tiny baby in Katara's arms. The younger girl didn't trust herself to answer, so she just stayed silent. "Who's is it? It couldn't be Aangs...?"

Katara almost burst out laughing at the suggestion of this. What, did Mai really think she'd have sex with a twelve-year-old? Though it was true that as far as Mai knew, there was no-one else to be the baby's father. Katara and Aang had dated for a short period of time after the war; instigated by their kiss in Ba Sing Se, but it didn't take long for her to realise she felt too motherly towards him for there to be any sort of romance in their future. But there had never been anyone else, except Zuko. There was no way Mai was going to find out about that one.

"Just a hook-up..." She mumbled, not able to bring herself to make eye-contact. Mai almost looked shocked; while she never particularly liked her, she'd always thought Katara to be somewhat sensible. Getting knocked up by a stranger was certainly not the definition of sensible.

"Jet? I'd always thought you'd get back with him again." Mai guessed. Courtesy of Toph, nearly the whole world knew about that little episode. Of course she hadn't been there at the time it had happened, but she'd heard more than about it from Sokka and Aang. Zuko groaned at the mention of the name, Jet's little fling with Katara was just one of many things on his list of reasons to hate the guy.

"Jet died in Lake Laogai." Katara said through gritted teeth; she hated talking about him. He'd been killed so soon after they'd made up, it was just painful to think about him.

"Really?" Zuko asked, speaking for the second time. He hadn't been there at the time of Jet's passing, and no-one had ever brought it up.

"Yeah, don't you remember it from the play on Ember Island?"

"That was really unclear..."

"Yeah, well, he did."

"So if Jet isn't the father, who is?" Mai asked, more curious than Katara had ever seen her. She wished the older girl would shut up though, she was running out of excuses to give her. Normally Mai wouldn't care one way or the other, it was almost as though she could sense there was something being hidden from her.

"I told you, a hook-up. I don't even remember." Katara lied, cringing as she spoke. She knew she was making herself out to be a huge floozy, but it was the only way she could think of to protect her and Zuko's secret. Then she noticed Elsa had stopped crying. It was the perfect subject changer. "Look, she's gone back to sleep now. Why don't you two go back to your room and we can talk again in the morning."

Mai nodded, seeming to agree with this idea. Without another word she left, leaving Zuko and Katara alone in the room together. For a second there was an awkward moment of silence.

"Look -" They both said in unison, and then paused, followed by another silence. Finally, Zuko spoke. "You first."

"We really need to make up a story for this... and a plan." The waterbender declared, setting Elsa down in a cot. Zuko chuckled slightly.

"That's not the first time I've heard you say that." He said, and Katara smiled. In all truth, she missed their days together during the war. Not the war itself, she could never miss that. But she did miss spending time with him. She'd never realised it while she'd been home in the Souther Water-Tribe, she'd always been too busy with healing or her pregnancy. Their evenings together on Ember Island's beach were ones she'd never forget. In that moment, she'd have given anything to have those nights back. It was silly for her to miss them this much, but she really did.

"I'm serious!" She giggled, feeling a little like her younger self. "We really do, and I have so much to tell you.."

"Do you think it can wait until the morning? If I'm too much longer, Mai's going to come looking for me." He said, glancing in the direction of the door slightly. Katara sighed. For a brief, pleasant moment, she'd forgotten Zuko was with Mai. But reality always had a way of sneaking back into her mind.

"You're right. Good night, Zuko."

"Night, Katara."

-o-

The next afternoon Katara sat on the verandah over looking the palace courtyard. It was a beautiful day, typical Fire Nation weather. The sun shone radiantly in a pure blue sky, and the air around her was fresh and clear. A servant girl had kindly offered to take Elsa for a stroll for an hour to give Katara time to herself, and so she was taking this opportunity to write to Sokka. She'd promised she'd write to him when she arrived in the Fire Nation. He knew about Elsa and who's she was, although for a while he'd been fed the same lie as Mai. Katara had managed to hold up this lie for almost eight months, but she'd been unable to think up a plausible reason for her travel to the Fire Nation. After all, there was no reason why it was Zuko in particular she was visiting and not Toph and Aang. At first Sokka was furious, but after a while he seemed to calm down a bit. He and Zuko had become close friends during and after the war, and he didn't really want to end their friendship so abruptly.

_Dear Sokka,_

_I've arrived in the Fire Nation safely. Zuko knows about Elsa, he reacted much better than expected. I'm going to stay here for a few weeks to give him time to spend with her and to make some sort of agreement. We both agreed Mai can't know, the fewer people who find out about this the better. That includes Toph, Aang and Suki. I know you want to tell them... but I'm not ready yet. Even if they're not unbelievably angry with me (which I expect they will be), I don't think I will be able to deal with all the teasing and statements of 'I told you they were together!' that are sure to follow. _

Katara smiled affectionately as she wrote this, her friends had always been on her back about Zuko. Ever since they started disappearing together on Ember Island, there had been suspicions. Especially from Toph and Suki. She knew the only reason Suki wanted them to be together was because she secretly thought Zuko was hot. She'd found this out one day while overhearing the warrior girl describe Zuko's appearance to Toph. The way she'd described him had definitely not been the way you'd describe someone unattractive, or even ordinary. Of course, she'd never be unfaithful to Sokka, though. Katara knew the older girl was certainly no floozy and besides, who could blame her for thinking Zuko had a great body? He _did. _

_Speaking of those three, be sure to tell them to write to me if you see them while in the Earth Kingdom. I'm dying to know how rebuilding and such is going on. I really wish I could be there and part of it all, but healing duties do call... well, and other duties too. I hope I taught you a lesson here, Sokka, always have safe sex! Well, not that you even have any time for that with all the distance between you and Suki. Don't worry, aren't you leaving to visit her soon?_

Even though they had still been desperate to keep their relationship together, Sokka and Suki hadn't been able to figure out a way to live in the same place. Sokka needed to return to the water tribes to prepare for Hakoda handing Chief duties over to him, and the Kyoshi Warriors had been offered a position as the Earth King's bodyguards. The two were still trying to make their relationship work though, and had organised for Sokka to take regular trips to the Earth Kingdom to visit. Suki would also try to visit the water-tribes when time allowed.

_I'm sure Zuko's kept you updated on all things Fire Nation, so I won't bother to tell you how he is. Not that I even know myself yet, my ship only arrived last night. Do you think you'll be able to make a stop here on the way back from the Earth Kingdom? Zuko wouldn't mind seeing you, and I miss you already._

Write back soon.

_Love, Katara. _

Katara rolled the parchment up and tied it safely to the ankle of a messenger hawk with a blue ribbon. As the bird took off into the sky, she watched, stretching back in her chair. She was enjoying the warmth, it wasn't something she had very often back home. All she needed now to complete the picture was a nice cup of jasmine tea.

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Author's Note: If you continued up to Chapter Two with this story, I thank you heaps! I'm quite proud of myself for sticking to my schedule of updating on the weekend, hopefully that's something I'll be able to keep up with for the rest of this.

**EMAGINX: **_"I am not going to lie, the name Elsa seems very out of place within the Avatar world and the characters" _Thank you for your comment, and I totally agree with you! Most of the names in the Avatar universe are from either an Inuit or Asian origin, and I think Elsa is Swedish? I had almost been going to name the baby a cross between Inuit and Japanese (If I could find such a name), but then I read the tumblr theory and thought it was wonderful! Also, I think that standing out can be a good thing if you look at it in a certain perspective. Again, thank you for your review!

In this chapter we learned a little about what's been going on in the world after the war. I'd just like to go over that now; there were a few points I found difficult to write into the actual story. In my head-canon, here is what's happening: Katara and Sokka are residing in the Southern Water- Tribe. Katara is learning to be a master healer from Yugoda, and Sokka is preparing for the day Hakoda will hand over being Chief to him. With Hakoda as current Chief, it would be customary for Sokka to be next in line, and I'm not sure the people of the water-tribe would be particularly happy with that if Sokka was constantly floating around in other areas of the world. Sokka and Suki are still a couple, but are living in different areas. They try to keep their relationship working, and plan frequent trips between the Earth Kingdom and Water-Tribes to visit each other.

Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors have been invited by the Earth King to be his personal bodyguards. After the Dai Li betrayed the Earth Kingdom, the King would be in need of another group to protect him and Ba Sing Se, and I think Suki's group could work fine for this. She was particularly happy with this as it allowed her to be close to Aang and Toph, who are also in Ba Sing Se at the current point in time.

As the Avatar, Aang would be expecting to take part in peace and rebuilding meetings. I think a lot of these would happen in the Earth Kingdom; the region the war affected the most. While she'd always write to them, I don't think Toph would be keen to return to her parents immediately after the war, so she's helping Aang and the peace committee out. Her earth-bending skills would come in handy for rebuilding. Also, while I don't (currently) have any plans for this, I think Taang is absolutely the most adorable ship!

As far as other relationships are concerned, Zuko is with Mai and Katara is single. Zuko might or might not be happy with Mai, but has made no plans for a wedding. (Much to her displeasure). I think that in the back of their minds, Katara and Zuko still have tiny feelings for each other. But we'll see.

I strongly suggest you readers search up When The Day Met The Night (Panic! At The Disco) and Dirty Little Secret (The All-American Rejects), because they are my two favourite Zutara songs at the moment! Dirty Little Secret is actually going to be my song for the prequel to this story. Look them up!

Next chapter, we'll see a little chat between Katara and Mai, and other fun and games!


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